The World Health Organization is a part of the United Nations. The organization is focused on major health issues around the world and it sets standards for health care, medicines, and disease control.
In today’s article, we’re going to talk about the World Health Organization data and statistics regarding hunger and starvation.
Keep reading to get all the info you need.
4 Key World Health Organization Hunger Facts & Statistics (Editor’s Pick)
- The hunger situation is most alarming in Africa.
- In Eastern Africa, 30.8% of the population is undernourished.
- More than 3 billion people can’t afford a healthy diet.
- Unsafe food results in 420,000 deaths each year.
10 World Health Organization Hunger Statistics
1. In 2018, there were about 820 million hungry people.
According to the annual report on the state of food security and nutrition in the world, World Health Organization stated that more than 820 million people didn’t have enough food to eat in 2018. That was an increase of 9 million people from the previous year. The data stated that was the third year of increase in a row and no doubt that 2019, 2020, and 2021 increased the number of hunger people even more.
Source: World Health Organization
2. Asia had 513.9 million undernourished people.
The same report stated that Asia had the highest number of undernourished people. In 2018, Asia had 513.9 million people who didn’t have enough food to eat. At the same time, Africa had 256.1 million such people, while Latin American and the Caribbean had 42.5 million undernourished people. All the numbers were increased from the previous year for at least a million people. In total, there were 821.6 million undernourished people in 2018.
Source: World Health Organization
3. The hunger situation is alarming in Africa.
Despite the numbers, the report by the World Health Organization and the associated organizations stated that the hunger situation is most alarming in Africa. The continent has a steady increase in the prevalence of undernourishment in almost all its subregions. For example, between 2015 and 2018, in countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, the number of undernourished people increased by 23.4 million. Since 2011, half of the countries where hunger increase occurred due to economic factors were in Africa.
Source: World Health Organization
4. Almost a third of the population in Eastern Africa is undernourished.
In Eastern Africa, 30.8% of the population is undernourished. That is close to a third of the population. The main factors that caused such a terrible situation regarding hunger, starvation, and famine are conflict, climate, and an unstable economy.
Source: World Health Organization
5. Asia and Africa have the most forms of malnutrition.
More than 500 million undernourished people live in Asia, mostly in southern Asian countries. That is the largest number of undernourished people in the world. Altogether, Asia and Africa have the greatest share of all forms of malnutrition. They account for more than 9 out of 10 of all stunted children and over 9 out of 10 of all wasted children on a global basis.
Source: World Health Organization
6. In 2019, there were millions of undernourished people.
In 2019, Asia had 381 million undernourished people. Africa was in second place with 250 million of such people, while Latin America and the Caribbean had 48 million undernourished people. The overall percentage of hungry people had minimal changes at 8.9%, but if we’re speaking of the absolute numbers, they have been increasing since 2014. With that being said, over the last years, hunger has grown in step with the global population.
Source: World Health Organization
7. By 2030, Africa will have more than half of the world’s chronically hungry people.
Africa stayed the hardest-hit region in 2019 too. Out of the total population of the continent, 19.1% was undernourished. According to the report, that is more than double the rate in Asia (8.3%) and in Latin America and the Caribbean (7.4%). It is estimated that by 2030, Africa will be home to more than half of the world’s chronically hungry people.
Source: World Health Organization
8. More than 3 billion people can’t afford a healthy diet.
The World Health Organization annual report stated that about 3 billion people, or even more, can’t afford a healthy diet. For southern Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa that is the case for 57% of the population. The report says that no region, that includes Europe and North America too, is spared.
Source: World Health Organization
9. A healthy diet is too expensive for low-income families.
Food insecurity, hunger, and starvation are closely linked to poverty. A healthy diet costs far more than $1.90 which some families have per day. If the proper and vital food isn’t consumed on a daily basis, people can develop serious health problems and issues. The costs of the least expensive healthy diet are 5 times the price of filling stomachs with starch only. The most expensive food groups on a global basis are nutrient-rich dairy, vegetables, food, and protein-rich foods. And all that is needed to nurture a healthy diet and body.
Source: World Health Organization
10. Unsafe food results in 420,000 deaths each year.
Unsafe food can contain viruses, parasites, harmful bacteria, or chemical substances which can cause more than 200 different diseases, from diarrhea to cancers. According to the World Health Organization report, around 600 million people, or almost 1 in 10 people, get ill every year due to eating contaminated food. That results in 420,000 deaths.
Source: World Health Organization
To Wrap It Up
The World Health Organization is focused on global health issues, including the impacts of hunger, starvation, and famine on the people, their body and their health. Despite all its effort, along with other associated organizations, the World Health Organization still has a lot of work to do in order to increase health awareness, as well as solve all the global problems regarding food safety, hunger, and starvation.
